PATRIOT GAFFE

Trump, 79, Botches National Anthem in Front of Millions

The president screwed up national anthem etiquette during his appearance at the NBA Finals. His granddaughter did not.

President Donald Trump was caught botching national anthem etiquette during his appearance at the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden, where he was heavily booed.

The president showed up for the third matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, causing major headaches for fans trying to enter the arena.

Trump, who officially left New York City for Palm Beach years ago, first appeared on MSG’s Jumbotron after Broadway star Avery Wilson had begun singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

By the time Wilson had finished the first stanza of the anthem, Trump was still standing with his hands at his sides.

It wasn’t until the camera panned to him that the president lifted his hand in a salute—though even that runs counter to standard etiquette. The U.S. Flag Code calls for placing the right hand over the heart during the national anthem.

Trump’s 19-year-old granddaughter, Kai Trump, managed to get it right, putting her hand over her heart.

With his hand casting a shadow over his face, Trump smiled while the crowd erupted into boos as his image appeared on the screen.

A federal statute, 36 U.S. Code § 301, specifies that during a rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, “individuals in uniform should give the military salute at the first note of the anthem and maintain that position until the last note.”

“Members of the Armed Forces and veterans who are present but not in uniform may render the military salute in the manner provided for individuals in uniform,” the code states. “All other persons present should face the flag and stand at attention with their right hand over the heart, and men not in uniform, if applicable, should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart.”

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Trump has never served in the armed forces, having avoided being drafted during the Vietnam War five times through four education deferments and one medical deferment for bone spurs in 1968.

But he has nevertheless made a habit of saluting during the national anthem, including when he attended a New York Yankees game at Yankee Stadium last September, where he similarly drew waves of boos from the crowd.

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Erkki ForsterNight News Reporter

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